September 30, 2014

The popular SwiftKey keyboard app for Android is offering users a new option if they like more colorful ways of typing. Today, they can download the new Pink Pack which adds three new pink colored keyboard themes bundled with two previously released themes.

The older themes in the pack are Pulse Pink and Hazy Pink, but SwiftKey says, "Since launching the SwiftKey Store earlier this year our pink themes have constantly ranked among the most popular, so it made sense to offer our users more choice in making their keyboards look pretty in pink." The three new themes in the Pink Pack are Highlight Pink, Minimal Pink and Retro Pink.

September 29, 2014

Multiple Windows 9 reports have suggested that Microsoft is considering releasing the upcoming platform as a free download to certain existing Windows users. Some said that Windows 8 will get Windows 9 free of charge, while others claimed the company is also considering some sort of special offers for existing Windows XP users. A report from Indonesian online publication Detik said earlier this week that President of Microsoft Indonesia Andreas Diantoro has confirmed this particular Windows 9 feature.

According to Diantoro, the Windows 9 upgrade will be available free of charge to all existing Windows 8 users once it’s released. Apparently, users will be able to easily install the Windows 9 update after downloading it from Microsoft, which is how Apple’s OS X updates have been rolled out to Macs for a few years now. For what it’s worth, some of the recent Windows 9 leaks did say that Microsoft already has a tool in place that will allow users to easily perform software updates.

It’s not clear whether other Windows users who are on older versions of the OS will get any other special offers, and actual prices for Windows 9 have yet to be revealed. Microsoft is reportedly interested in moving many people from the older, and no longer supported, Windows XP and offering Windows 9 as a free download might be a great incentive for some.

Microsoft is going to soon unveil Windows 9 and release a technical preview of it. Recent leaks, including many videos, have revealed some of the major features coming to Windows 9, including the return of the Start menu, the Cortana voice-based search assistant that’s currently available only on Windows Phone, the Notification Center, support for multiple desktops, and several other UI enhancements.

September 27, 2014

The first, and final, beta of Ubuntu 14.10 ‘Utopic Unicorn’ is now available to download.

Other Ubuntu flavors have issued alpha and beta milestones for testing, but this beta marks the first formal development release of Ubuntu with Unity.

With all hands on polishing up the RTM builds of Ubuntu for Phones ahead of the first handset launch before year’s end, little attention has been given to bringing new features to the desktop.

It’s not an exact clone of 14.04 LTS, however. There's minor changes here and there, and a round of package bumps for LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird and so on. The majority of the GNOME stack remains on 3.10 (Nautilus, Totem, Rhythmbox, Eye of GNOME, etc.).

If you planned to take it for a ride to revel in the newness you’ll need to temper expectations accordingly. This is the first Ubuntu milestone in nearly six years of coverage that even I am struggling to find big differences in.

Despite the beta tag the OS performs great —testament to the strict quality assurance framework Ubuntu has in place. While there is little compelling to make upgrading a must-do come next month, those who like to have some of the latest software will want to jump aboard the Unicorn.

September 26, 2014

LibreOffice 4.3.2, the second minor update to the 4.3.x release series, has been made available for immediate download.

Announcing its availability ahead of the project’s fourth birthday on Sunday, The Document Foundation say the majority of fixes — more than 80 in total — “…focus on interoperability issues when reading or writing Microsoft Office DOCX, XLSX and PPTX files.”

As boring as “interoperability” may read it is an important and integral feature of any office suite.

September 23, 2014

Despite being four years old, Fruit Ninja is still an extremely popular mobile game that has seen over 500 million downloads since it debuted in 2010. Still, the game’s UI is certainly starting to show its age, and so Halfbrick has announced plans to bring in a new menu and interface, alongside plenty of other improvements.

So what all can we expect, besides a new coat of paint on an old concept? For starters, selecting different blades and dojos will now have a real effect on the gameplay, instead of only providing a cosmetic change. As Halfbrick notes as an example in its press statement “the Great Wave dojo periodically spawns ten fruit at once, and the Autumn Blade creates a fruit-swirling tornado with every pineapple sliced.” The studio also mentions that they have “broken the score ceiling” and are bringer greater depth to the strategy of slicing in the update.

Keep in mind this isn't a full sequel to Fruit Ninja, and will simply roll out as an update to the existing experience. The update is expected to arrive in early October. What do you think, enough of a change to lure you back into playing the game or would you like to see a more massive reinvention or full sequel to the Fruit Ninja experience?

September 18, 2014

Hi readers,
It has been some time since I last dropped by.
Many things happened in life. Went through an emotional roller-coaster, and still riding it.
There are still many problems I need to sort out. Ha, what is life without problems?
Anyway, let's push away the ramblings.
I tried to cheer myself up with some drawing. Here's some sketches of characters from Aldnoah Zero and Rin from Free!. Enjoy~

September 17, 2014

If you’re a frequent visitor to Google’s web properties or the New Tab Page in Chrome then you’ll be familiar with the white Google Bar that sits at the top of each page.

The ‘Google Bar‘ brings a consistency to the experience of using Google sites and services like Gmail, Calendar and Maps. It also ties in Google+ sharing and notification features and, relevant for this article, a little app launcher for Google services.

A new extension by Carlos Jeurissen brings the latter, the product switcher element, to the Chrome toolbar. Once installed, you won’t need to open a new tab or browse to a Google website to get at the feature: just click the toolbar button and select your destination!

While (sadly) not a launcher for apps installed from the Web Store there’s no denying that it’s useful; it offers up a quick and easy way to get at your favourite Google services without having to leave whatever page you’re on.

September 15, 2014

This theme was another request from Mitko Nikolov as he wanted a Chrome theme featuring Erza Scarlet. Looking at the Chrome Web Store, there is only one other Erza Scarlet theme available. So here's another one! Enjoy.

September 12, 2014

A few months ago at Google I/O, Google demoed Android apps running on Chrome OS. Today, Google is making that demo a reality by launching "App Runtime for Chrome (Beta)."

Google is not opening the floodgates and loading a full Play Store with every Chromebook; instead, it is manually bringing over certain apps. "Over the coming months, we’ll be working with a select group of Android developers to add more of your favorite apps so you’ll have a more seamless experience across your Android phone and Chromebook," the company said in its announcement.

For now, the feature is launching with four compatible apps: Duolingo, Evernote, Sight Words, and Vine. One app not mentioned was Flipboard, which was demoed at I/O.

There is no porting required. It seems that Google has built an entire Android stack into Chrome OS using Native Client. Both OSes are based on Linux, making libraries, the app framework, and the Android runtime the big differences. We wonder if it's using Dalvik or ART.

Android apps show up in the launcher just like any other Chrome app, and apps are downloaded from the Chrome Web Store. Portability like this has always been one of the benefits of writing to a virtual machine, and now it seems Google is really starting to take advantage of it.

September 9, 2014

So you want to build a small home server to host your files, stream media or host a Minecraft Server but you want to keep the cost as low as possible. I recently decided to build myself a small home server limiting myself to the lowest budget possible. $300. Here is my guide on how to build a small home server for approximately $300.

September 6, 2014

So you've probably heard about the Moto 360 for a while now it's available for purchase. Here are some quick reasons why I want one!

1) It's pretty. Yes, you heard right. The round edges and the circular face is the only way a watch should be. Not just a square screen wrapped around your wrist. The beauty of this is because Motorola has gone just lengths in perfecting a circular display for us (and it's not easy developing it).

2) Android Wear. Moto 360 (much like to Galaxy Gear and LG G Watch comes with the Android Wear operating system. Android Wear allows you to remotely control your phone, check the weather, reply to your Hangouts messages and much, much more. It's convenient for those times when you're unable to take out your phone.

3) One of it's kind. This isn't the first of smartwatches as Samsung already had their Galaxy Gear out before. The thing is that it's one of a kind because of it's unique circular design. No other smart watch has this feature. It's special, and that's why you want one. (It also looks damn cool!)

Well there you have it. Moto 360. I want one and you probably would want one too!

September 4, 2014

Google has started pushing out the latest Chrome for Android stable release, version 37, tonight. The update brings the typical smattering of performance improvements and bug fixes plus a few new treats, including the Material Design treatment.

The update is rolling out slowly, hit the Google Play Store on device to check for updates, or head over to the Play Store to grab a fresh copy.

In addition to the new user interface built with Material Design, version 37 of Chrome brings a new Incognito tab page and a simplified sign-in. Users of Chrome Beta for Android will already be familiar with most of the changes coming to the stable channel, as Chrome Beta got its Material Design overhaul some time ago.

September 3, 2014

Opera 24 has been released to the public. What does this new version bring? For one, it now has a handy "Tab Previews" feature.

With Opera 24, we give you our unique tab previews that help you find the tab you want. When you hover a tab, a preview inside the main browsing area gives you a peek into its contents. Lost one of your tabs? Previews help you find it. Locating and switching to the correct tab has never been easier.

So if you are the kind of user that likes to have all your tabs opened then this update will definitely benefit you!

Crisper look on higher resolution screens
Opera 24 for Windows makes full use of your higher-resolution, or HiDPI, screens. These screens have more pixels packed into the same area as normal screens, which means that rounded corners and text can look much crisper. Now, our user interface looks crystal clear on such displays. And wait until you can experience your favorite websites in HiDPI.

Private window color
Private browsing ensures that your internet history and activity are removed as soon as you close all private windows. We’ve made private windows more distinct from normal windows by changing their background color on Windows. Now, you easily can pick out and close all of your private browsing.

And more...
As with any other browser update, Opera 24 packs a lot of bug fixes and minor improvements. If you are interested in what's been fixed in this version, you can check out the full changelog.